Miko and Taiyoukai
by PrisonerPadfoot
Summary: A place for all my SessKag Dokuga drabbles and the occasional oneshot. Various unconnected encounters between Kagome and Sesshoumaru, some romantic, and some platonic. NEWEST: Sesshoumaru's idea of perfection.
1. In the Mist

**This one is from dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #43, Bang.**

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_I have no idea where I'm going. _

The forest was shrouded in an unnaturally think mist, and Kagome could barely see a few feet in front of her. She had been separated from her friends, and after a few minutes of wandering, had no choice but to admit that she was lost.

She panicked. Her heart raced and every shadow hid a dangerous youkai. She whimpered and took a cautious step backwards, screaming when her head banged into something sharp. A pinprick of blood fell down her neck as she turned to see what she had run into.

"Sesshoumaru?"

The tall youkai stood there with her blood on the tip of one of his armored spikes. He cast a cold glance down at her and turned to walk back the opposite way.

"Wait! Can you help me get out of here?" she called and ran after him.

He said nothing, and made no objection to her trailing along behind him. She stayed close to him, even grabbing onto his sleeve when she heard something rustling in the trees. She could not say why, but even though Sesshoumaru had once tried to kill her and her beloved hanyou, she trusted him.


	2. Fish Tale

**This one was written for Dokuga's Weekly Perfection #44, Clear.  
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Kagome peered down the embankment and into the water below. The water was extremely clear, and even from high above she could see the dark forms of fish swimming in the shallow creek. She found the babble of the flowing water to be quite soothing and she took the opportunity to sit against a tree and relax.

She started to drift off to sleep, but her eyes sprang open when she heard the hearty laughs of a child. She followed the sound downstream, and when she caught sight of its source she hid herself behind a copse of ferns. She peeked through the fronds and at the three figures below.

Sesshoumaru stood on a rock that jutted from the center of the creek, while Rin was knee-deep in the water beside him. Sesshoumaru's faithful vassal stood on the banks, quietly watching them.

Moving so swiftly that he was no more than a blur of white and red, Sesshoumaru crouched down and sliced his hand through the water. He stood up with a large fish impaled on his claws. The fish's tail flapped wildly and splattered water onto Rin and Jaken. Rin clapped for her Lord's catch, while Jaken wiped his face on his sleeves.

With a flick of his wrist, Sesshoumaru dropped the fish into Rin's hands. The fish looked enormous in the arms of such a small child, and she could barely keep a hold on it as it wriggled around. Kagome smiled as Rin simultaneously struggled with the fish and beamed up at her Lord.

Kagome covered her mouth against an escaping giggle. Her eyes went wide as Sesshoumaru turned his head and looked straight through her leafy cover and into her eyes. Kagome dived into the brush with her heart pounding a frantic beat in her chest.


	3. Poison Flower

**This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #45, Green.  
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To those that knew him, green was the color of death.

It radiated from ivory claws in a deadly fog, and leaped upon prey with its master's swiftness. It raced through the body and tightened the throat with sickeningly sweet scents. It bled the nose and watered the eyes, claiming territory in every pore and every vein until it conquered the enemy. It weakened the knees and fell opponents with the slightest exposure. It never failed to kill, but it was never merciless. Numbness always trailed in its wake, and even where it brought forth blood, it left no pain.


	4. Dinner With Demons

**This one was written for dokuga_contest's Oneshot #23, Stubborn.  
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"I'm going to ask him," Kagome said resolutely.

"No way, Kagome. This idea reeks of trouble," her hanyou husband replied, his eyes narrowing considerably.

"Come on, Inuyasha. It's about time we stopped acting like strangers," she said.

Kagome started in the direction of Kaede's garden. Before she could get more than a few steps, Inuyasha effectively blockaded her path. Each time she tried to step around him, he repositioned himself in front of her. Kagome's hands balled into fists at her sides, and she eyed her husband dangerously.

"Move, Inuyasha," she hissed.

"I'm not moving anywhere. This is a terrible idea."

"I'm warning you…One…Two…"

"I'm not moving."

"Three…"

Inuyasha briefly considered moving out of her way to save himself pain. In the end Kagome's mouth proved much faster than Inuyasha's good sense.

"SIT!"

Inuyasha hit the ground with a heavy thud. Kagome's foot came down heavily on his back as she walked past him and into the garden. Inuyasha lifted his head out of the earth and spit out a mouthful of dirt. He gave a growl as he watched Kagome approach the looming presence lingering among Kaede's herbs.

"Stubborn woman…" Inuyasha muttered, spitting out one last piece of grass.

The taiyoukai watched as his young charge weeded the old miko's garden. As she worked, Rin informed him of all the trivial things the old miko had been teaching her. While he kept one ear on Rin's excited chatter, he kept the other trained on his half-brother and his wife. Though they had not mentioned him by name, he was certain that they had been arguing over him. He smirked inwardly as Inuyasha was slammed into the ground, but his expression soured as the young miko entered the garden. It wasn't until she stood before him and gave a little bow that Rin quieted.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and I were talking--" she began, and blushed a little as he raised an eyebrow at her. She cleared her throat and continued. "And we were would like it of you would join us and our friends for dinner."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow climbed further into the line of his hair, and Kagome's shoulders slumped. Just when she thought she would have to do some serious persuading, Rin heaved a sigh.

"What troubles you, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Rin plucked a scraggly weed from the earth with a little more force than was necessary. Small clumps of dirt splattered across her kimono and over Sesshoumaru's boots. "Rin will be helping Lady Kaede, Lady Sango and Lady Kagome with cooking…"

Rin trailed off into silence, but she needn't say anything else to get her point across. Kagome's expression turned smug in triumph. When it came to Sesshoumaru, there was no better persuasion than Rin.

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Kagome took a break from helping with the night's meal to check up on the boys, and she was quite disappointed with what she found. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were standing face-to-face, and judging by Inuyasha's defensive posture, his fist waving in his brother's stoic face, their conversation wasn't of a friendly nature. Miroku sat under a nearby tree with Shippo on his shoulder, obviously trying to play the role of mediator between the two brothers. Grumbling under her breath, she stomped over and planted herself squarely between them.

"Kagome, what're you doing?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I've had enough of this nonsense," she said. Over the years Kagome had watched as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's physical fights turned into wars of words, many of which were no less violent than battles fought with their swords. She had been hoping that their behavior would improve further over time, but she was simply tired of waiting.

"Miko, remove yourself from our argument," Sesshoumaru said coldly. Kagome ignored him for the time being.

"Yeah, this is between me and the bastard!" said Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, sit!" she said, and Miroku and Shippo made identical pained noises as their friend created a defined imprint in the ground.

"And you," Kagome said, wheeling around and poking the taiyoukai in the chest, "Should know better. I'd never thought you'd be one to fight pointless battles, Sesshoumaru, and this battle you've got going on with your brother is about the most pointless thing I've ever seen. You're the older one, so _you _should be the wiser one-"

"Hey!" Inuyasha objected, and Kagome growled. Inuyasha abruptly laid his head back in the crater it had made.

Kagome gave Sesshoumaru one last, hard poke. "Stop being stubborn and have the good sense to _knock it off already_."

Sesshoumaru's visage remained unfazed, but Kagome thought he was probably contemplating separating her from her prodding finger. Kagome kept and held his gaze, giving a little gulp as his eyes narrowed. His silence was beginning to frighten her, but to Kagome's relief their standoff was interrupted.

"Lady Kagome!" Rin said, running into their midst, "Lady Kaede said it's time to eat."

"Okay Rin, we'll be right there," Kagome said, and jumped a little when she felt something brush against her leg.

She looked down to find Sesshoumaru's mokomoko creeping past her. The fluffy end of it came to dangle over Inuyasha's head, and the hanyou looked at it with distaste. Kagome scowled at him, and with a sigh, Inuyasha grabbed his brother's pelt and used it to help himself out of the ground. The length of fur quickly returned to its master's side, and Sesshoumaru was striding back to Kaede's hut with Rin beside him. Kagome almost couldn't believe what she had just seen.

"Hey, wait up ya jerk!" Inuyasha yelled, running after his brother.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. At least one of the brothers wasn't completely adverse to change.


	5. In Rare Form

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #46, Break.  
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Once upon a time he had tried to kill them. Tried to kill _her_. They had been his enemies, and yet they were now his allies. He had looked into his brother's eyes and put his honor on the line. He had given them what he had provided to no others before. He gave them his allegiance, a promise to keep them under his watchful eye. While they were in the West no harm would befall them, and they would work together to fight the dark hanyou Naraku. He had never been one to share the glory of the kill, but Naraku had proved to be quite the formidable opponent.

He had honored his promise and come to them in their time of need. He watched as they fell away one by one until none but himself were left to fight. But it was the sight of the young miko being thrown to the ground that stirred something deep inside of him. He had been fascinated by her when she pulled the sword from his father's tomb. She showed no fear towards him, had spoken her mind to him with a fierce directness. She was tenacious, and though she was quite unrefined in her power, he could not deny her strength. In a way he respected her, even more so than his own brother.

It had been his brother's face he had looked into, but it was for the miko's sake that he promised his aid.

He could feel the hold on his form breaking, a barrier in his mind shattering and letting loose the slumbering dog within. In his father's tomb he had lost control over his shape in anger at the young miko, and now his hold had been broken in order to protect her and all of the ones she held dear.

His body twisted and stretched in an aura of blazing red light, shedding the human guise and letting the animal surface in its place. There was a slight pressure on his front leg, and he looked down to see the tiny miko leaning against his massive toenail, holding her bow and quiver. It had been with the miko's encouragement that Inuyasha had severed his other leg, but the memory was distant now. It was only his silence that prevented her from knowing she was forgiven.

Together they faced Naraku's spawn and cemented their new alliance.


	6. Blood on Blood

**This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #47, Mingle.  
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He was knocking at death's door, but the woman laying beside him had already stepped into the afterlife.

Blood snaked its way out from beneath her body, winding its way down to mingle with the blood pooling around his injured leg. It was human blood colliding with youkai, red running into red.

He had thought human bloodlines inferior to his youkai blood, and yet as he lay bleeding beside a human, there was no difference. Her blood ran as red and readily as his own. She fought bravely with him and met her end at his side. He clung to life by a thread.

Perhaps they had not been so different after all.

And perhaps it was her human blood that gave her such courage. Humans were born and bred to have death as their eventual fate, and perhaps that was why he saw no fear in her eyes as she slipped away. Most humans would try to cling to the world with tooth and nail, but not she.

He had tried to draw Tenseiga in pity for her, but she found the strength to shake her head and deny his aid. It was her time, and she accepted it.


	7. Behind the Falls

**This one was written for Dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #48, Wall.  
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Even though Kagome loved her friends, it felt nice to go off on her own. She was glad to leave Inuyasha and Shippo's bickering, and heard the whack of Hiraikotsu hitting Miroku in the head as she snuck away. It would be a while before they noticed she was gone.

She was drawn toward the sound of rushing water. As she pushed her way through a copse of ferns, she found a gentle waterfall. Removing her socks and shoes, she waded into the water and up to the falls. She pressed her hands to the wall of water, letting it cool her flushed skin. Gazing into the white water, she saw that instead of solid rock beyond the fall, there was a dark void. A cave.

She walked through the falls and found gloom on the other side. Only a few rays of light peeked in from holes in the rock. There was a drop-off at her feet, and a pool of water below that wound off and out of sight around the bend. She tried to peek around the turn to see what might have been lurking there.

She was startled by a glint of gold in the darkness.

She slipped and fell into the pool. When she opened her eyes again she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. Standing up to his ankles in the water was Sesshoumaru, bare-chested and slowly retying his hakama. Water glistened on his skin, and his hair hung heavy with it.

Kagome felt a blush rising in her cheeks, and was suddenly very aware of how her wet uniform was sticking to her chest. She quickly crossed her arms.

"Miko," he acknowledged her, and without another word, stepped around her and through the falls.

Kagome groaned and submerged herself in the pool.


	8. A Bad Aim

**This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #49, Worse.  
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Their treaty with Sesshoumaru was on thin ice as it was, and she had to go and make things worse.

Why did she have to jump into the battle? Why couldn't she have just gathered the reserve to stay on the sidelines and not get herself involved? Sesshoumaru and her friends were putting up an amazing fight against Naraku's puppet, and yet she still couldn't leave well enough alone. She mentally kicked herself.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her with angry eyes. With a growl, he pulled her sacred arrow from his thigh.

She really needed to work on her aim.


	9. Distracted

**This was written for Dokuga's weekly Perfection #50, Curl.  
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She had returned home from the Sengoku Jidai over the weekend, and though her body was now sitting in class, her mind was still five hundred years in the past.

Her teacher's words went in one ear and out the other. Her eyes wandered over to the window, though she wasn't quite seeing any of the uninteresting happenings outside.

She was thinking about Inuyasha. He was loud, crass, annoying, yet strangely endearing. He tried his best to keep an emotional distance between them, but in their encounter with his brother a few days ago, he had openly promised to protect her.

Sesshoumaru. That was his brother's name. He was a full-blooded demon and all-around jerk by both human and demon standards.

He had tried to kill her and Inuyasha, but even so she was shocked when Inuyasha severed his arm. He was a cold, silent creature, both elegant and mysterious. He moved with unparalleled grace even when clad in thick silk and fur, his refined skills putting his brother to shame. Not to mention that he was older, more mature, taller, and fiercely, untouchably handsome...

The more she thought about him, the tighter her hold on her pencil became. Her fingers curled around the slender utensil with increasing force until her hand began to shake with it. There was a loud snap as she broke the pencil in half, and Kagome felt like all eyes in the classroom were upon her. She felt a twinge of red heat creeping into her cheeks.

"Are you alright, Miss Higurashi?" the teacher asked, a few giggles running around the room.

"Yes," she said nervously, "I'm fine."

Using her hair as a veil to block her smirking classmates from sight, Kagome sunk down into her chair and plucked a new pencil from her bag.


	10. A Question of Family

**This was written for Dokuga's weekly Perfection #51, Wrist.  
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Kagome lay awake in her sleeping bag with Shippo and Rin snuggled against either side of her. Though it was well into the night Kagome was wide awake. Shippo's snores provided the only sound, and the only thing keeping Kagome from staring into darkness was the taiyoukai's luminescent eyes.

He was sitting against a tree barely an arm's length away, his hand dangling over one bent knee. Kagome wasn't quite sure where her boldness came from, but she reached out and ran a finger over his striped wrist.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked, and Kagome's wrist was in his crushing grip.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said, and his hold on her loosened. "Your markings, they're a pretty color," she finished. Sesshoumaru released her and settled his arm back on his knee.

"They are inherited from my mother," he said.

For some reason Kagome found herself shocked at this revelation. She had always found Sesshoumaru to be ethereal, and to realize that living somewhere was a woman that birthed him knocked him down a peg. Perhaps he wasn't quite so inhuman.

"Really?" she said, and after an awkward silence, she continued, "Most people say I look a lot like my mother. Mama thinks I look like my father."

"Hnn."

It was then that Kagome consciously realized something about her circle of friends.

"You know, it's strange," she said, and Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "All of us have lost our fathers."

In fact, she and Sesshoumaru were the only ones with living parents.

"And you, miko?" he asked.

"Dad died before Souta was born. Mama and Grandpa raised me."

He made no reply. Another question came to her, and she was nervous about posing it to him. She gathered her courage and asked anyway.

"Inuyasha said he doesn't remember your father. Do you?"

"My father trained me in swordsmanship many centuries ago," he said, briefly touching the hilts of both swords he carried.

"Do you miss him?"

There was a long silence.

"You should sleep," Sesshoumaru said.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Sesshoumaru grumbled and looked over his shoulder towards his brother. "Our words are reaching listening ears."

"Oh," Kagome said, and propped herself up just enough to get a glimpse of Inuyasha. She could see his left ear swiveling. "Goodnight Sesshoumaru," she said, rolling over to face skyward. "Goodnight, Inuyasha."

In the distance she heard a very distinct "Keh."


	11. A Little Sharing Goes A Long Way

**This one was written for #52, Tart.  
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Kagome passed around bowls of ramen, then looked over to where Sesshoumaru was sitting by himself. She rifled through her bag to pull out a white box.

"What's that? Smells good," said Inuyasha though a mouthful of food.

"They are good," Kagome said, pulling the box away from him. "And they aren't for you."

She went to Sesshoumaru and kneeled down beside him, opening the box to reveal an array of miniature raspberry tart pastries. She tried to ignore his disdainful glare.

"Would you like one?" she asked. "They're really good."

If there was one food she knew no one, not even Sesshoumaru, could resist, it was dessert pastries.

"I don't eat human food," he said and Kagome tried not to wrinkle her nose. She decided she didn't want to know what he meant by that.

"Try one, you'll like them," she said, taking one for herself.

He picked a sweet out of the box and took a hard look at it before popping it into his mouth.

"Good?"

"Passable," he said, and Kagome sighed. She turned away, but he called her back again. "Miko."

He helped himself to another tart before letting her walk away.

Kagome smiled in triumph.


	12. His Black Heart

**This one was written for #53, Black.  
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"What's wrong with you? How the fuck can you just go running off with that jerk?" Inuyasha screamed when she told him the news.

His words still stung, even now as she lay in her mate's arms. Though she no longer loved Inuyasha like she once had, it still cut her deeply to have him so angry with her.

"Aye child, that demon's heart is black," Kaede said.

The old woman had no idea what she was talking about. Of all people, Kaede should have known that his heart was in the right place. Month after month she saw with her own eyes how kindly the demon treated his human ward.

"He's ruthless, Kagome. He'll hurt you," Sango warned.

Such was far from the truth. It was true, he could break her if he so wanted, but she knew he never would. Once upon a time maybe, but all that was long behind them. His claws were always gentle on her skin, his kisses tender.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Miroku asked.

It was, and she didn't care if they never understood why.

Tolerance had sprouted out of their long ago hatred of each other. Tolerance had grown into understanding, which had turned into friendship. Now there was love. They knew the contents of each other's heart like no one else, and Kagome saw no evil lurking within his.

To his enemies and those who didn't quite understand him, he was killing perfection. An untouchably cold Lord that ruled without compassion.

To her, he was husband and mate. The demon whose warmth she now basked in. The one she shared her bed with night after night. She loved him dearly.

Kagome laid her hand on his bare chest, feeling the steady beat of that fabled black heart.


	13. Trust

**This one was written for #54, Wild.  
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Wild and passionate. A casual acquaintance would never know him as such.

He only showed his true nature to a single person.

When he was buried deep in her heat, lost in throes of love, his mate knew the wild passion of which he was capable. She saw the crimson as it crept into his eyes, felt the unbridled passion that moved him.

Kagome reveled in that trust, bathing in the warmth Sesshoumaru would give to none other than her.

He took solace in her and could shed the stoic guise of youkai nobility, if only for a few moments.


	14. All the Same

**This one was written for #55, Quirk.  
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He had spent his time getting to know her from afar. Perhaps too much of his time.

She was the odd, quirky girl his brother pulled out from the old well. She traipsed around the countryside wearing clothes he had never seen before, using words he had never heard. She carried around a strange yellow bag wherever she went, pulling from it new and flavorsome foods during their times of rest. From her bag also came books full of new knowledge, treasures of learning he would read while everyone else was asleep.

But perhaps the most unique thing about her was that she was unafraid. While the others in his brother's group lent him a watchful eye, she trusted him with the greatest of ease. She reached out to him every chance she got, even when he gave her no proper acknowledgement. He found the kindness in her heart quite peculiar.

She had disappeared for awhile once Naraku met his end. The next time he saw her she called up to him as he flew, proclaiming him as part of her family. Her brother-in-law. The words sounded strange to his ears and he frowned down at her. He had liked it better when there was no real bond between them, when there was still hope for something more.

He watched with guarded eyes as she and his brother grew old together. She learned her trade well, curing the sick and protecting the village with her sacred arrows.

Now she was nothing special, just one of a hundred million exactly like her.

He laid a single arrow down atop of her before getting to his feet. He walked silently and with much respect from the place of mankind's ultimate despair.

Humans were all the same once they were dead and buried.


	15. Mountain Shrine

**This one was written for #56, Stairs.  
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Kagome stopped a moment to catch her breath. Looking up at the stairs still left to climb, it seemed she still had miles to go. The shrine at the top of the stairs stood sentinel in a shroud of early morning mist. Giving a sigh, she continued on her way.

She was taken by surprise as a piece of the stone steps broke away beneath her foot. She tottered for a second, nearly dropping the little charm she held.

Thankfully he was there to take her by the elbow and steady her. She smiled up at him and together they ascended the rest of the way to the shrine.

They bowed before the entrance and performed Temizu. Before they entered Kagome tugged on the bell in the doorway, and the sound echoed dolefully through the sleepy mountain.

They entered the shrine and together they said a prayer.

Kagome had offered to pray alone. Kagome could not imagine the Demon Lord bowing to a higher power and acknowledging something greater than himself, but he would not let her go at it alone. They had begun this journey together, and they would see it through it together. Words could not say how glad she was to have him with her at that moment.

It was only a few weeks before everything would come full circle. It would not be easy, but Kagome was prepared. She had learned to control her reiki to the best of her ability, and now they were asking the Kami for their blessing. She clutched the _inuhariko _to her chest as she prayed. When she had first received the little white dog, she had almost laughed at the appropriateness of it. The charm hadn't left her side for a moment since.

They put their hands together before their hearts and bowed once more before leaving the shrine. Kagome hoped that their prayers had been heard. The fruit of their unusual union faced a difficult journey into the world.

As they descended the stairs, Sesshoumaru's hand pressed lightly at the small of her back. Even though they already knew each other in the most intimate of ways, his small acts of caring still made her smile.

As the sun continued its journey into the sky, the mountain began to awaken. Kagome laid her hand over her middle and felt the new life they had created stir with it.

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**A/N: Hopefully I haven't butchered Shinto practices too badly. Anyway, if you didn't know, an _Inuhariko _is a little dog charm that is sometimes given to expectant mothers for hope of a safe birth.**


	16. Change of Plans

**This one was written for #58, Bait.  
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He had been gone so long that Kagome was starving for his touch. Sesshoumaru was barely through the door before she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

They made love until the dawn. When he left their bed he announced he would be leaving again at noon, but Kagome didn't think so.

She picked the article of clothing he had forgotten off the floor. It was sure to bait him into staying.

"Kagome, where is my-?"

When Sesshoumaru saw her splayed across the bed wearing nothing but his obi, he dropped his hakama and quickly changed his plans.


	17. Perfection

**Written for dokuga_contest #100 on livejournal. Originally posted August 11th, 2010.  
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Warm demon's blood was streaked across the cold metal of his sword. A lesser youkai's corpse lay at his feet. It had been a perfect kill.

"Sesshoumaru!" a familiar voice called.

His eyes were drawn to the top of the hill where his miko and his Rin were waiting in safety for him. The two women were holding holds and waving at him, Rin nearly hopping up and down with excitement. Behind them, the sun was beginning to set. He went to them, accepting their embraces rather stoically.

His miko's lips brushed fleetingly against his cheek, then his lips.

_Perfection_.


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